GRF One Health Summit 2012, Davos: Presentation by Anthony Donald EVANS, International Civil Aviation Organization, Canada

1. International Civil Aviation Organization
Management of Public Health
Emergencies in Aviation
Dr. Anthony Evans
Chief, Aviation Medicine Section
International Civil Aviation Organization
aevans@icao.int
GRF One Health Summit
Davos, February 2012

2. Plan
• ICAO
• Why worry about aviation and health?
• Health related issues
• Economic related issues
• Challenges
• Multi-sector preparedness planning
– Cooperative Arrangement for the Prevention of Spread of
Communicable Disease through Air Travel (CAPSCA)
• Added Value of CAPSCA
• Summary/Way Forward
Project title (Insert, Header & Footer) 2

3. ICAO – UN specialized agency created in 1944. 191 Contracting States.
Strategic Objectives:
• Safety (including health safety)
• Security
• Environmental protection

4. International Civil Aviation Organization -
HQ - seven Regional Offices
ICAO HQ
Montreal
Paris
Cairo
Dakar
Mexico Bangkok
Nairobi
Lima

5. Why worry about aviation & health?
• Medical health
– Spread of disease by travellers
– Other transport related issues:
• Transport of samples
– e.g. biological/radioactive
• Transport of vectors
• Transport of personnel to/from affected areas
– Risk to individuals on aircraft
• Economic health
– Airlines
– Supporting businesses
– Governments

6. Health-related issues
Bennett, JS – NIOSH, 2009
6

7. Economic-related issues
Passengers of Hong Kong International Airport,
January to August 2003
3500
3000
International arrivals, Mexico, 2009-2011
No. of passengers (' 000)
2500
Courtesy: Dr Jose Valente Aguilar Zinser, Ministry of
2000
Transport, Mexico
1500
12 March, WHO
1000
Atypical pneumonia
alert
500 2 April 23 May
WHO travel Travel advisory lifted
0 advisory
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Month
Courtesy: Dr Henry Kong, past Chief Port Health Officer, Hong Kong
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8. Challenges
• Aviation is:
– Focused primarily on prevention of accidents
– Personnel not generally knowledgeable about public health
• Public health is:
– Focused primarily on non-transport related health issues
– Personnel not generally knowledgeable about aviation
• And so…..
• Preparedness planning in
aviation can fall
between two stools.
8

9. Way forward:
• Multi-sector preparedness planning (despite the challenges)
– WHO/public health cannot alone provide necessary resources for
aviation preparedness planning
– Many sectors involved to varying degrees
– Private industry involvement vital
– Increase priority of transport issues in public health agendas
• Cooperative Arrangement for the Prevention of Spread Of
Communicable Disease through Air travel:
www.CAPSCA.org
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10. Interlinking guidelines
Guide to Hygiene and
Sanitation in Aviation
WHO global IHR 2005
Case management Preparedness
of Influenza
A(H1N1) in air
transport
ICAO
Standards & Guidelines
for aviation
Airports Council International Air
International: Transport Association:
airport guidelines airline guidelines

11. Multi-sector involvement:
A challenge to achieve
Interfaces particularly important

12. Fukushima nuclear accident - Multi-sector collaboration
worked well (although based on communicable disease
network): ICAO Transport Task Force
Weekly teleconference call
ICAO
IAEA
WHO
IMO
WMO
UNWTO
ILO
ICAO – International Civil Aviation Organization
IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency
WHO – World Health Organization IATA
IMO – International Maritime Organization
WMO – World Meteorological Organization ACI
UNWTO – UN World Tourism Organization
ILO – International Labour Organization
Output - Three News releases during the initial weeks
IATA – International Air Transport Association
ACI – Airports Council International
- Ongoing guidance regarding transport sector

13. Added Value of CAPSCA to One Health
 REDUCED IMPACT OF PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES
– Reduced spread of disease
– Delayed spread of disease
– Peak effects of disease reduced
– Mitigation of economic effects
– Timely return to normal operations
– Proportional response encouraged – ‘knee jerk’
reactions minimised
– Improved management of risk perception – for air
passengers and aviation personnel
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14. Summary/way forward
• High level buy-in of multi-sector
collaboration concept
– Role of UN
• Resources allocated to multi-sector
collaboration
• Combined agendas – minimise
duplication
• Public and private involvement
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15. Management of Public Health
Emergencies in Aviation
Dr. Anthony Evans
aevans@icao.int
Chief, Aviation Medicine Section
International Civil Aviation Organization
GRF One Health Summit
Davos, February 2012